Every year on June 8th - the United Nations' World Oceans Day -  people around the world celebrate the many ways the world's oceans benefit our lives.

Our 2024 Ocean Festival, hosted by the SCCA in collaboration with RhizomeUP!Media, and Rogue Arts Festival was a wonderful success!

The festival showcases the incredible marine diversity in our local waters, raises awareness about threats to ocean health, and provides opportunities to engage in inspiring local conservation initiatives. The online aspects of the program live year-round on our Sunshine Coast Ocean Festival website where you can watch feature-length and short films, in addition to all recordings of this and previous years NEMO talks.

We are so very grateful to our generous sponsors at the District of Sechelt, Sunshine Coast Regional District, Sunshine Coast Credit Union, Canadian Ocean Literacy Coalition, the BC Government, as well as many local groups and businesses for helping make the festival such a success.

For our 2024 festival we held 2 in-person documentary film screenings at the Sunshine Coast Arts Centre: Patrick and the Whale and Deep Rising. Both films sparked great conversations around protecting our oceans.

We had a fantastic suite of NEMO talks this year on the following topics:

• Marine Impacts of Private Moorage in kalpilin (Pender Harbour) with Sacha O’Regan. This Talk was rescheduled. Please stay tuned for details on date/time coming soon.
• Green Crab Monitoring with Tyranna Souque of Coastal Restoration Society
• Coastlines, community, and climate activism: lessons from the ocean with Fiona Beaty, Marine Ecologist
• Clam Garden Restoration with Carl Olsen, Indigenous Knowledge Holder at the w̱sáneć nation
• Seafloor garbage in the Salish Sea: Taking out the Trash with Susan Anthony, of SeaChange Society

At our World Oceans Day Celebration on June 8th we hosted booths with interactive activities by the SCCA, Friends of Forage Fish, DFO, Sunshine Coast Streamkeepers, shishalh nation educator Holly Neate, Oceanwise, the Herring Enhancement Society, and Sunshine Coast Tourism.

We were so lucky to have a bright and sunny day for our celebration with many folks coming out to participate. DJ Sam Pulpo kept us tapping our toes while Evan fired up the BBQ. It was inspiring to engage with many generations of Coasters keen to learn and get involved in ocean conservation.

We are deeply grateful to our dedicated volunteers who staffed booths, helped with film screenings, and supported all our events!

Big thanks to Marinos Independent Grocer in Sechelt, and the Gibsons Butcher for their generous food donations for the BBQ!

We are also very grateful to our prize donors, Vancouver Aquarium, Halfmoon Sea Kayaks, Pastime Games, Bitter End Marine Traders, Sechelt Fish Market, and Ocean Club Cafe!

Save the date for our 2025 Sunshine Coast Ocean Festival happening June 1 - 8!